The Soothing Touch of Love
by iloveromance
Summary: Daphne's attempts to soothe Niles' sunburned body lead to memories and desires that neither one of them can forget... or ignore. A steamy, romantic sequel to "Honeymoon Blues" based on a scene from "Crock Tales"


The walk from the elevator to the front door was slow and painful, but Niles was grateful for the gentle creature beside him. When he reached for the doorknob, her hand covered his, and she placed a gentle kiss on his mouth.

"We're home, Darling. Just take your time."

They entered the lavish apartment grateful to be home, but somewhat sad that their week of blissfulness had come to an end.

Daphne took his hand and carefully led him to the plush chair by the fireplace, coaxing him to sit down.

"Here we are, Sweetheart. Now just make yourself comfortable and I'll bring you some ice water."

"But what about our luggage?"

"The luggage can wait. Now just sit and relax."

When she kissed him again, he pulled her toward him, letting her know that he wanted to recreate those magical moments that they'd shared in Tahiti. And she found it hard to resist the temptation. But right now he was hurting and she wanted so much to make him feel better again.

"I'll get that ice water now."

He took her hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss.

"Thank you, my love."

In the kitchen, her heart still ached at his words from earlier that evening.

_"I've ruined our honeymoon."_

How could he possibly think that he'd ruined what was truly the most wonderful time of her life?

Suddenly she felt a twinge of guilt that perhaps she had taken him for granted, knowing that anything he'd arranged for their honeymoon could be nothing less than amazing, but now she knew that she hadn't told him often enough how much he truly meant to her.

Because of him, her life had changed in ways she could have only imagined. Their causal acquaintance had started because of his relationship to Frasier, but somehow over the course of ten years had grown into something out of a fairytale. Never in her life did she dream that a nice man like Dr. Niles Crane; smart, successful and highly sophisticated would fall in love with her; a plain, uninteresting physical therapist from Manchester.

The love she felt for him then made her heart swell and she knew that she was the luckiest woman in the world. For her dreams had come true in so many ways.

She'd gone from being incredibly lonely and scared in a foreign country to being a friend, confidante and finally someone that was loved by a man who loved her unconditionally.

She was hardly worth such affection but as they stood in that horrid chapel in Reno, their fingers entwined and their gazes upon each other, she vowed to show him how much he meant to her... for the rest of their lives.

When she returned to the living room, ice water in hand, she smiled at the sight. Her new husband sat in the very seat in which she had been sitting when he asked for her hand in marriage, sound asleep, a smile on his face. No doubt he was dreaming of the heavenly moments they'd spent in Tahiti.

She moved closer hating to wake him but knew that he must be terribly uncomfortable in those scratchy clothes.

But first things first.

She crossed the room to the front door and pulled the luggage inside the apartment.

Best to take care of things now and let her husband sleep in peace. Minutes later the suitcases were empty and the laundry was piled in the clothes bins ready for washing.

When she returned to the living room, she sat on the fainting couch, content to watch her sleeping husband. Even with his sunburned skin, he was so handsome that he took her breath away.

Once more the moments of their last evening in Tahiti returned, filling her heart with love. They'd spent the day making last minute purchases, dining at their favorite restaurant and swimming in an ocean so blue that she when she dove in, she could see forever.

And she knew it was no coincidence that her husband's eyes were the same shade. For every time she looked into them, she would remember the first trip they'd taken as husband and wife.

When he stirred, she rose from the sofa and moved toward him, smiling as she gently stroked his cheek. His eyes opened and he smiled at the sight of her.

"Hello, my angel."

Her heart warmed, for she'd never tire of hearing those words; nor would she ever feel worthy of such a name.

"Darling, why don't we get upstairs and I'll help you out of those clothes. I'm sure you'd be more comfortable in something softer."

He grinned and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "The only place I'd be more comfortable is in your arms."

Suddenly his handsome face was blurred by the tears in her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away.

"Come on, Darling, let's go upstairs."

No words were needed as they climbed the stairs; their fingers entwined. When they reached the bedroom, Niles paused at the door, giving her a kiss that explained his intentions for the rest of the evening.

But she refused to give into her desires, as much as she wanted to. Since they had returned from Tahiti only hours before, she wanted nothing more than to be in his arms, making love as if time had no end and neither did their love for one another.

When he kissed her again, she clutched his shirt for fear that she might faint from the rapture that she felt. She increased her hold on him but when she heard him wince, she quickly let go.

"Oh Sweetheart."

"It's all right, my love."

"Come on, Darling."

She took his hand and led him into the bed. "Now, just relax and I'll be right back, Sweetheart."

Before he could attempt to kiss her again, she reluctantly pulled away and went into the bathroom.

She returned minutes later and smiled at him.

"Daphne, what-."

"The bath is ready for you. I hope it's not too cold but I don't want your skin to hurt anymore than it already does."

He began to undress and she could feel his pain as he carefully unbuttoned the buttons of his long-sleeved shirt. Finally after several agonizing seconds, the shirt was open and he seemed to struggle in an effort to remove it from his body.

"Oh Darling, let me help you."

Her fingers trembled, and she took slowly peeled the shirt away from him. But she wasn't prepared for the sight that greeted her. His sexy skin, the color of a sandy beach was now a bright pink, and when he moved slightly she winced the pain.

"Thank you, Daphne." His hands moved to the belt on his pants, and she rushed to help him.

"I'll take care of that."

He grinned mischievously. "Seems we've gotten quite good at undressing one another in the past week."

She wanted to laugh, but the sight of his sunburned skin was almost too much. She simply couldn't understand how he could be so cheerful.

"Here... Put on your robe and come with me."

He slipped the silk robe around his body and together they walked into expansive master bathroom.

Once more she helped him untie his robe and then carefully helped him into the tub, which she'd filled with cool water and some soothing bath oils to calm his pained skin.

"Oh this feels wonderful." Niles said, resting his head against the terrycloth bath pillow. "Are you sure you don't want to join me? There's plenty of room for two."

She sighed, wanting so much to comply with his wishes, but she couldn't risk hurting his delicate skin.

"Perhaps another time, when you're feeling better. Just relax and when you're ready to get out, let me know. I'll be waiting for you in the bedroom."

"And you'll be right here where you always are." He said, pointing to his chest. "In my heart."

"Oh Niles..."

Her eyes filled with tears and she kissed him deeply. Before he could see her cry, she hurried into the bedroom, leaving him to bathe in peace. And minutes later she heard his muffled voice calling her name through the door.

"Daphne, my angel... I'm ready."

As carefully as possible, she eased him out of the tub and wrapped the large Indian cotton bath towel around his sunburned body.

"Thank you, my love."

In gratitude, he kissed her tenderly, leaving her lips burning for more.

"Now, let's get you dried off and then we'll take care of your skin." She said. At the sight of his reddened skin, she felt her emotions begin to falter. "Oh Niles..."

"I'll be fine." He said in a calming tone.

They moved into the bedroom and she took the towel from him, placing it on the bed.

"Just lie here and I'll fetch the aloe cream."

Dutifully he did as she asked and when she returned with the cream, she once more found herself staring at his perfect form.

"Daphne?"

She blinked, realizing that she'd been staring longer than she meant to.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just..."

He grinned. "Remembering?"

"Yes. And I'm quite sure I'll never forget. But enough reminiscing. Let's get you taken care of."

With a dollop of cream in her hands she prepared herself to soothe his aching skin.

But as soon as she touched his back, she withdrew her hand and shuddered.

His head turned to her. "Is something wrong?"

"I just... I don't want to hurt you."

"You couldn't."

The compliment made her smile. "I promise I'll be very gentle, but if I hurt you in any way-."

He propped himself up and touched her cheek. "I'll be fine."

"All right."

She touched his back, taking great care not to irritate his skin, which was redder than she realized. It seemed that basking in the Tahitian sunshine was a bit too much for those who chose to do without proper swimming attire; or any attire for that matter.

The memory made her smile and soon she'd found a pleasant rhythm, rubbing the aloe cream onto his sunburned skin, caressing and massaging much to his delight. For every time he sighed with pleasure her love for him grew.

Almost an hour later she was finished and she handed him his robe.

"There you are, Sweetheart. How are you feeling?"

"Much better. Now I believe I need to return the favor."

She blinked in surprise. "What?"

"Remember at Café Nervosa, you said..."

Unable to hide her mischievous smile, she kissed him tenderly. "Oh that's right. I did say that, didn't I? Just stay right there and I'll get meself a towel."

Her heart raced with anticipation as she hurried into the bathroom and removed her clothes. Although she'd preferred to have Niles undress her, she knew he needed his rest.

"Okay, I'm ready." She said appearing beside him.

"You look stunning."  
"But Niles, I'm wearing nothing but a towel." She laughed.

"And I've never seen you look more beautiful."

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what? I was just-."

"Say such sweet things to me."

He brought her hand to his lips for a kiss. "They may be sweet, but the words are true."

Tears filled her eyes but once more she brushed them away. "All right. Before you make me cry again, let me get settled on the bed so that you can do me back."

"And the rest of you." He winked.

Eagerly, she laid the towel on the bed and settled herself on top of it. "Here's the aloe cream."

He took the cream from her and began rubbing the satiny substance into her skin. Her skin was tanned and she'd taken great care not to let the sun irritate it, but the aloe soothed it just the same. Niles gentle touch was welcomed and soon she was lost in blissfulness that she had no idea could exist.

His hands on her body, he was tender, loving and gentle just as she'd been with him.  
When he was finished, she sighed dreamily.

"That was wonderful, Darling. Thank you so much."

He leaned over and kissed her bare back. "Anytime, my love. Now, I suppose we should get dressed and start settling into our new life."

"Actually I have a better idea." Daphne said.

"I'm listening." He said with a wink.

She kissed him once more and crawled into bed, prompting him to do the same.  
"Can we extend our honeymoon just a little while longer?"

He took her into his arms, melding his body against hers.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Mrs. Crane."

**THE END**

**A/N: I wasn't sure whether to rate this T or M, but since there was no T+, I hope that T will be good enough. Hope you enjoyed reading this b/c I loved writing it! It's not often I write an entire story so quickly!  
**


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